"Obito," Rin whispered anxiously. "I really don't think we should be here!"
"C'mon Rin! What better way to prove Kakashi didn't kill himself, then to prove that that wound wasn't self inflicted!" Obito smiled grimly at her. She only shook her head as she followed him down the long dark hallway to the morgue.
"If the ANBU couldn't find anything, what makes you think we can?" she asked doubtfully.
"Because we actually care about him." Obito muttered darkly. "Aha!" he pulled open the door. Rin's face went sheet white when she saw Kakashi's body on the autopsy table, and tears filled her eyes.
"Obito," she sobbed. "I don't think I can do this!"
Obito gently rested a hand on her shoulder, then walked over to the body of his teammate and friend. He shuddered as he remembered his nightmare, but forced himself to look over every inch of the body, desperately searching for something, anything, that would help him.
"Dammit!" he snarled. He pounded his fist on the table, it really did look like...
Rin's small hand came to rest on his shoulder, much like he did to her earlier. He jumped. He didn't even sense her approach. She gave him a watery smile then pulled him into a gentle embrace.
Surrounded by her comforting arms, Obito let loose the tears he had been trying to keep at bay.
"It's not fair!" he choked. "How could he do this to us!"
"I don't know," Rin whispered. "I just don't know."
It seemed like an eternity before they broke apart, and turned to gaze sadly at their dead teammate's face one more time. Obito sighed heavily and turned to leave, when Rin's arm suddenly whipped out and stopped him. He looked at her questioningly, but her gaze was locked on Kakashi.
"Obito," she said slowly. "Do you remember our mission to destroy the bridge a few months ago?"
Obito shuddered, like he could forget. They had all nearly lost their lives on that one, the only good thing out of it was that he had gained his sharingan.
"Yeah, why?"
She turned to him, pure glee in her eyes. "Do you remember how that rock nin had sliced Kakashi's shoulder open? Do you remember the nasty scar it left?"
Obito nodded dumbly, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. "Yeah, so what?"
Rin pointed happily at Kakashi's arm. "So... where's the scar?"
Obito frowned and looked at Kakashi's arm, only to gape as he saw nothing but smooth pale skin where there should have been a deep jagged scar.
A wide grin slowly made its way across his face. 'This body...it's not Kakashi... then who?' Obito frowned and activated his sharingan. Rin stared at him.
"Obito, what are you-?"
"If this body isn't Kakashi's then who's is it?" he stared intently at the body. Then is frown deepened. "No wonder the ANBU couldn't find anything, this is a hell of a genjutsu. Rin, I'm gonna need your help."
She nodded at him and stood next to him, placing her hand on top of Obito's, which rested on "Kakashi's" chest.
"Kai!" They both shouted. At first, nothing happened, but then the illusion began to break right before their eyes.
The face of Kakashi melted off the body and transformed into the face of a man who looked to be in his early thirties. A rock hitai-ate rested on his forehead, and the rest of the body transformed as well. Rin and Obito stared in shock than turned to each other with smiles that could split their faces in two. Then they hugged each other tightly.
"It's not him! It's not him!" Rin sobbed happily. "It's not him Obito!"
"I know I know!" Obito laughed hysterically. For a moment they just stood there, content in the knowledge that it wasn't their friend that lay still and lifeless on the autopsy table. But all too soon shinobi mode began to kick back in and they pulled apart.
"If it's not Kakashi, then where is he?" Obito asked solemnly.
"And why would someone go to so much trouble to fake his death? He's obviously still alive if they went to all this trouble." Rin added.
Neither of them voiced the thought in their heads. 'At least for the moment.'
"Either way, we have to let sensei as well as Hokage-Sama know about this!" Obito said. "Who know what could be happening to Kakashi right now!"
Rin nodded vigorously and followed Obito as they dashed out of the morgue to Hokage Tower.
"Minato!" The Sandaime said sternly. "This has to stop!" He stared worriedly at the exhausted young jounin before him. Ever since Kakashi's death, the younger man had been working himself into the ground, taking mission after mission, desperate for anything to help him forget.
"Please Sandaime-Sama!" Minato begged. "I...I need this, just one more mission!"
"No!" the old man said sternly. "I will not have one of my most promising young shinobi kill himself like this!" Sandaime instantly regretted his choice of words as he saw the younger man wince.
"Minato," he said softly. "I know how hard this is, but think about Obito and Rin, what they must be going through right now. When was the last time you even saw the two of them?"
Minato's eyes widened. 'Shit shit SHIT! How could I have forgotten about them!' "Forgive me Sandaime-Sama. You are right, and I must go find them right away."
Just as he turned to leave the door busted open and the two shinobi Minato had been thinking about came crashing into the room.
"Obito! Rin! What's going on here?"
Rin looked up at him and grinned. "Sensei! We did it!"
Minato and Sandaime only looked at her in confusion.
"We proved that Kakashi didn't kill himself!"
Minato sighed, his heart heavy. "Obito-"
"NO! He's right! Sandaime-Sama, you must come to the morgue with us! That body in there isn't Kakashi's!" Minato's eyes widened.
"T-that's ridiculous, even the ANBU couldn't-"
"The ANBU don't have the sharingan." Obito's eyes swirled red to help prove his point.
Minato turned to look at the Sandaime, who nodded at him.
"We shall go."
Minato and the Hokage's eyes simultaneously widened in shock as they surveyed the body on the table.
"A rock nin, but...how?"
"It was a genjutsu Sensei, and a damn good one too. It took me and Rin together to break it."
Minato stared at his two students, his eyes alight with pride and joy. He pulled them into a strong embrace.
"You two," he choked, "you two are incredible, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."
Rin and Obito felt theirs sensei's tears and hugged him back tightly. The Sandaime smiled as he watched them for a moment, but then returned his attention to the nin on the table.
"I will call the ANBU and arrange a search. Don't worry we will find him."
"With all due respect sir," Minato said. "I think my team should-"
"No." the Hokage said firmly. "You are too involved in this, and it is quite possible that whoever took Kakashi-kun will come back and try to take one of you as well. It's too risky, until we find out what's going on, none of you are to leave the village."
"But-" Obito began to protest angrily, but Minato's hand clamped over his mouth.
"Yes Sandaime-Sama." Minato bowed his head respectfully.
Sandaime stared at him for a moment, then nodded and left. "I will let you know if we find anything."
Minato waited until he was sure the Hokage was gone, then released his furious student.
"Sensei! We can't just sit back on our asses and let the ABNU handle this! Kakashi's ourteammate!"
"First of all I don't ever want to hear you talk like that again Obito you're too young to be speaking like that. Secondly." an evil smirk spread across his face. "Who said anything about sitting out on this? We just needed Sandaime-Sama to think we're giving in."
Twin smirks grew on Rin and Obito's faces. Their sensei was truly evil.
"Come on," Minato said. "We'll go to my place and make a plan."
The two nodded and followed their teacher out of the morgue.
Meanwhile several miles away in Rock Territory, a small silver haired boy huddled in a grimy corner, terror visible on his face as a large shadow loomed over him.
"Please feel free to scream," the figure said in a sickly sweet voice. "After all, no one's going to hear you."